The Kansas Sun
Parsons Police Chief Robert Spinks hopes that one of the new initiatives in his department will help foster improved relationships between police and the community.
Police2Peace, a national non-profit dedicated to community policing that’s receiving federal funding to train police departments across the country, is working with Parsons police on conducting a community survey, analyzing those results and training Parsons police and the department’s civil staff on the initiative that brings a new level of community policing to Parsons. The research, training and certification for the department are free because of funding Police2Peace received from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The first step, the community survey, involves citizens scanning a QR code, which is in an advertisement on Page 12 of today’s Sun, and answering 19 questions. The survey takes about 3 minutes. The QR code is also on the department’s website.
The survey is voluntary and anonymous. It covers personal experiences, comfort levels, police protection, officer training and department visibility.
“This survey will help us see how closely aligned our mission, vision and values are with the community’s expectations. Your feedback is crucial as we strive to continuously improve the service we provide. Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts,” Spinks said in a prepared statement.
Spinks told the Sun that police officers, police administrative and civilian staff will also undergo training through Police2Peace. He said this will be a re-energized look at community policing. Participants take an oath to be a peacekeeper and guardian and get training on how to work interact and de-escalate. Policy updates will be included as well as continued training through in-service dates.
The initiative follows the department’s efforts underway now to get accredited, Spinks said. It involves training and community outreach.
“Those are all things that we are doing a far better job than a lot of other agencies,” Spinks said.
As more agencies participate in Police2Peace the Parsons Police Department will receive benchmark data so it can be compared to other departments large and small.
The information generated from this participation will be shared with the community, he said.
The program also will dovetail with the department’s domestic violence initiative, which is starting up as an effort to curb domestic violence in the city.
“For once I feel like we’re actually getting some traction,” Spinks said.
The department will have to continue with Police2Peace training throughout the year to get re-certified every two years.
“I’m kind of excited. I don’t want to say it’s soft policing or it’s policing with fuzzy gloves and mittens. It’s not. It is making sure that we are responsive to the community in a professional manner,” Spinks said.
Community policing began in the early 1980s as a way to build relationships with the community and not just being an enforcement agency. Spinks said the 9/11 changed that focus to a warrior mentality.
“So we diverted away from the core of community policing: Partnerships, guardianships, being a helping agency first and an enforcement agency second,” he said.
Police2Peace is a way to get back to the core values of community policing.
